speculativeevolutionfandomcom-20200216-history
Rabbuck
The Rabbuck is an animal from After Man: A Zoology of the Future of Dougal Dixon. It is similar to a big deer or an horse, but is head is clearly a rabbit's head. In fact, the Rabbuck evolved from rabbits. There are seven known species of Rabbuck: *common rabbuck (Ungulagus silvicultrix) *desert rabbuck (Ungulagus flavus) *mountain rabbuck (Ungulagus scandens) *Arctic rabbuck (Ungulagus hirsutus) *strank (Ungulagus virgatus) *watoo (Ungulagus cento) *picktooth (Dolabrodon fossor) History of Rabbucks During the period immediately before and during the Age of Man the principal large-scale grazers and browsers were the ungulates, the hoofed mammals. They were generally lightly built running animals (like deers, antelopes and zebras), able to escape quickly from predators and with teeth particularly suited to cropping leaves and grasses. The ungulates were widely used by man for his own purposes. Cows and goats were domesticated for milk and meat, sheep were bred for wool and the skins of many were used for leather. Horses and oxen were harnessed to work for man and became the classic beasts of burden. By the time man became extinct, these animals had become so dependent on him that they could no longer survive. The deer, the wild ungulates of the temperate latitudes, fared little better. Vast tracts of temperate woodlands had been destroyed to make room for man's cities and to provide agricultural land. This interference with their habitat was so intolerable and put such pressure on the deer that their numbers fell to a level from which they never recovered. Also, remaining ungulates were far too specialized to evolve more and fill new niches. So, by 50 million years after man, they were almost extinct. What then could take their place? A whole ecological niche was vacant, with nothing to exploit it. During the Age of Man a small-scale grazer was present that was so successful it was considered to be a pest. The rabbit was so seriously destructive of man's crops, that man made numerous attempts to control it and even attempted to exterminate it. Yet no matter what actions he took he never succeeded in getting rid of it completely. After man's disappearance, the rabbit's versatility and short breeding cycle enabled it to develop successfully into a number of separate forms. The most successful, the rabbuck, Ungulagus spp., now occupies the niche left by the ungulates, with species similar to deers, camels, mountain goats, giraffes and zebras. To begin with the rabbuck changed little from its rabbit ancestors excepting for size. In an environment totally devoid of large, hoofed grazing animals the rabbit was left with no major grazing competitors and quickly evolved to occupy the position they once held. The early rabbucks, Macrolagus spp., retained the hopping gait of their forebears and developed strong hind legs for leaping. However, although jumping was ideal for moving around the open grasslands, their traditional habitat, it was not the best method for the confined spaces of the forest, and a more fundamental change had to take place. Several species of this earlier line still exist, but their place has largely been taken by the running forms of rabbuck that more closely resemble the deer of earlier times. The second major development took place some ten million years after the Age of Man. As well as developing rapidly into the size of a deer the rabbucks also began to evolve the typical deer leg and gait. The jumping hind limbs and the generalized forelimbs of the rabbit grew into long-shanked running legs and the feet changed radically. The outer digits atrophied and the second and third toes grew into hoofs, strong enough to bear the animal's weight. This was a highly satisfactory arrangement and this line has now largely replaced the leaping form as the dominant group. The rabbuck has been so successful that it is found in a wide variety of forms throughout the world - from the tundra and coniferous forests of the far north to the deserts and rain forests of the tropics. Originated in the temperate woodlands, they spread southwards, round the mountain barriers, into the African and Indian sub-continents, where they flourished and competed so effectively with the ungulates that in time they largely replaced them. Species of Rabbuck Common Rabbuck (Ungulagus silvicultrix): The forest-dwelling rabbuck of temperate latitudes is the archetypal species of the genus Ungulagus''.'' It grows to around two meters high and has a doppled coat which camouflage it effectively among the trees. They are normally found in small herds of between ten and twelve individuals. Arctic Rabbuck (Ungulagus hirsutus): It has a thick hairy coat which turns white in the winter. Heavily built with rolls of insulating fat, the Arctic Rabbuck is found in far north, in the region of tundra and coniferous forests. Desert Rabbuck (Ungulagus flavus): A much more lightly built creature with long ears and a short sandy-coloured coat, the Desert Rabbuck stands no more than 1.2 meters high at the shoulder and is found in arid areas throughout the world to the south of the temperate bolt. Mountain rabbuck (Ungulagus scandens): This is the smallest and the least common of all rabbuck species and is found along the western mountain of the Northern Continent. It is adapted to live on a meagre diet of poor grasses and herbs. Tropical rabbucks tend to be similar to their temperate cousins, but are on the whole lighter in build and have longer legs and ears. Their coloration is very different, consisting mostly of pale brown and white arranged in stripes or spots depending on the species: Strank (Ungulagus virgatus): It has a dazzling pattern of stripes like the extinct zebra. The strank's stripes produce a confused impression from a distance. Watoo (Ungulagus cento): It's larger than the strank, and carries large angular blotches similar to those once possessed by the giraffe. Such patterns make individuals merge into one another so that a distant predator gets only a confused impression of the herd as a whole. It is particularly effective in thorn thickets and areas of scrubby woodland. All rabbucks, whether temperate or tropical, retain the dazzling white tail of their rabbit ancestors. It is used as a warning signal when the herd is attacked. Picktooth (Dolabrodon fossor): It feeds on low-growing herbs and roots, which it digs up with its tusks and spurs. Its second incisor teeth are developed into strong laterally directed tusks and it has long spur-like claws on the fourth digit of each forefoot. As it runs only on the second and third toes of each foot, the spurs do not hinder it. Category:After Man species